Ray Allen takes a swipe at David West over Boston Celtics snub – NBA Update
Boston Celtics super star Ray Allen has questioned the reasoning behind David West’s move to the Indiana Pacers.
West, who was one of the top free agents this summer, also had an offer on the table from the C’s, but eventually chose the less fancied Pacers. This came as a big blow to the already short- handed Celtics and Allen has now openly questioned the wisdom behind that decision.
West is a pretty good power forward that would have instantly improved any team he signed for. The former New Orleans Hornets man was eyed by Boston as a remedy to their aging roster and they believed they could offer him the chance to compete for an NBA World Championship. The player however, chose the Indiana Pacers, a team that almost didn’t make the playoffs last season.
He will definitely be an asset for the Pacers next season, but that team still won’t be a serious contender for the championship by any stretch of the imagination. Allen believes that West’s decision had to do with the money on offer, and not with the competitive advantage.
“Once it got down to the end, I think his ego kicked back in,” Allen said. “He wanted the dollars. I guess it comes down to ‘What is a championship worth to you?’
The legendary shooting guard was in a similar situation some years back but he chose to fight for an NBA World Championship. A franchise player at the Seattle Super Sonics, Allen made a decision to come to Boston for a smaller contract and just a share of the spotlight with Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.
He won an NBA World Championship in his first year with the franchise and has been a contender ever since. For Allen, the pay cut was worth it, and he expected West to think the same way.
“Think of all the guys who have made $20 million and could be considered one of the best ever, but they get chided because they never won. We [the Big Three] all had to do less when we won. We’re still taking less to make it work. But it’s worth it. No one can ever say to KG, Paul or me, ‘You guys never got your ring.’”
David had other ideas though and rumours about the complicated nature of the Boston deal didn’t help either. West will now try to help a side that has some promise down the lane and possess few players, who can strike big in the years to come. However, with West’s contract just 2 years long, it does not seem that West will wait for that long and maybe he is just planning to use the Pacers as a stepping stone.
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